2015 Roster
2015 Schedule
2015 Meet The Team

WHEELING, W.Va. – The Wheeling Jesuit men's soccer team seeks to harness its late-season success from a year ago for the 2015 season and make the next step as a program.  
 
WJU finished last fall 4-1-2 in the final month of the season, before they were edged by top-ranked University of Charleston a single score by in the Mountain East Conference championship. Despite their strong 2014 finish, the Cardinals (9-8-2) missed out on one of the final NCAA Division II Atlantic Region four national playoff spots.
 
"We proved last year we can do it (compete at a very high level) and belong with the elite (teams of the Atlantic Region). We just have to take the next step and get there (to the national playoffs)," said WJU's 33^rd-year head coach James Regan.
 
Regan and his WJU squad have a lot of hard work ahead of them to end a 14-year drought from the NCAA national playoffs. The Cardinals made a run to the 2000 national quarterfinal and were on the bubble of returning to the national playoffs three years in a row (2003-05).
 
Standing in the its way, WJU has the top two MEC power teams in No. 2 University of Charleston and No. 24 Notre Dame College as the league's clear favorites pair of teams. The Wheeling team was selected fifth in the MEC Preseason poll with 20 points, narrowly behind third-place Urbana (22) and fourth-rated West Virginia Wesleyan (21).
 
"It is a challenging schedule with two nationally-ranked teams in the conference. Just to get out of the conference is a huge task," pointed out Regan.
 
Even if the team falls short in the league, the Cardinals' sights are focused on the national scene. But with NCAA DII men's soccer as the lone team sport without automatic national playoff bids, the regular season matches, conference and non-conference alike, hold extra significance.
 
"Every match in DII has an impact on the playoffs with no automatic qualifiers. There is more pressure on a game-by-game basis. Teams need 10 to 11 wins to get to the national playoffs," explained the WJU head coach. "We play four teams who made the regional tournaments or were just left out of the regional tournaments last year."
 
WJU wastes no time in checking two of the four playoff-level teams off the list. The Cardinals open the 2015 campaign with a Thursday afternoon match, Sept. 3, at the Griffins of Seton Hill (12-7-2) starting at 4 p.m. The WJU opening week continues when it travels across Pennsylvania for a Sunday noon contest at Philadelphia University. WJU split home matches against the two opponents last year in a 1-0 overtime loss to Seton Hill, which fell short of the national playoffs, but prevailed, 2-1, over two-time Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference and 2015 preseason CACC favorite Philadelphia.
 
"Seton Hill and Philadelphia University are two big games on the road. Right off the bat, we have two critical games. How we do in them could set us up for a solid year," explained Regan.
 
In late September, an eight-day stretch will be the Cardinals other gauntlet of opponents. WJU plays at Notre Dame College on Sept. 23, before it hosts Slippery Rock three days later and University of Charleston to complete the trio of matches on Sept. 30.
 
"Slippery Rock, Charleston, and Notre Dame all been or have been in the regional tournament – with two of those four matches at home," said the Cardinal coach. "We should know at the end of September where we stand, if we can reach the (NCAA) tournament and make our goal of making the national tournament."
 
The Cardinals' ability to make the NCAA tournament will begin with their returning strong backline of defense. All-Atlantic Region and All-MEC performer senior captain center back JJ Hawkshaw(Kilmarnock, Scotland/Grange Academy). Joining Hawkshaw, fellow seniors Sean Murphy (Malahide, Ireland/Belvedere College) and Tom Walsh (Washington, D.C./Gonzaga) at outside backs, while junior Shaan Stuart (Whanganui, New Zealand/Whanganui) at the other center back spot.
 
"JJ along with Murphy, Walsh, and Stuart give us a veteran line and it will be one of the team's strongest points again," said the Cardinal head coach.
 
The WJU defender quartet helped the squad allow only 25 goals in 19 matches for a 1.32 GAA average. The Cardinal defense also posted seven shutouts and allowed no more than a goal in 13 matches.
 
The strong Wheeling Jesuit backline will help the transition in goal. Cody Thompson has moved to the WJU coaching staff as a graduate assistant after he logged 1,660 minutes in 18 matches with a 1.30 GAA. Taking over for Thompson, junior Matt McCormick (Galloway, N.J./Absegami), is projected to take over after serving as last year's backup. McCormick was in net for all 110 minutes of a 1-1 tie at Bloomsburg as his lone 2014 action.
 
"Matt is our returning veteran as he has been in the background to Cody Thompson," said Regan. "He had a great spring as he did well. We expect him to slip into the number one spot."
 
Three new freshman – Joey Sealor (Ooltewah, Tenn./Ooltewah), Tyler Shotwell (Fairfield, Ohio/Fairfield), Stephen Schlegel (Wheeling, W.Va./Wheeling Park) – will have an opportunity to push McCormick for playing time.
 
"All three freshmen have been on campus and come with some experience. They give us good depth as any one of them could step up into the (goalie) role if needed," pointed out Regan.
 
Moving to the middle of the field, the WJU midfield should prove to be a second strong area on the pitch. All-MEC Honorable Mention honoree and returning leading scorer and Aitor de Heredia(Arabal, Spain/KoldoMitxelena BHI) is set to lead the group. De Heredia, a junior, found the back of the net five times with three game-winners and assisted on three more scores.
 
"We expect the same production from Aitor at attacking midfield if not more this season," said Regan.
 
Defensive midfield Vince Faraji, a senior from Elyria, Ohio (Elyria Catholic), gives a good solid stay at home player. On the outside, junior Daniel Undreiner (Caracas, Venezuela/St. Ignatious of Loyola) will blend with sophomores Matt Vogt (Loveland, Ohio/Loveland) and Micah Tatebe (Warren, Ohio/Warren G. Harding).
 
Undreiner adds a quick and experienced player, while Vogt and Tatebe made improvements as freshmen last year and should be especially good in high-press situations with their fitness levels this season.
 
The Cardinals biggest improvement area needs to be in its frontline goal scoring. WJU was able to put only 19 balls into the net for goals and were shut out seven matches.
 
"Goal scoring was one of our weak points. We expect more this season," stressed Regan.
 
WJU will have great potential in its frontline led by three returners – junior Jordan Frommeyer (Alexandria, Ky./Bishop Brossart) and sophomores Trey Tucker (Devonshire, Bermuda/Ooltewah, Tenn.) and Yafeu Rougier (La Brea, Trinidad and Tobago/St. Benedict's).
 
Frommeyer is a small and quick forward who his best game is to come. Tucker and Rougier both have the potential to score behind the opposition's line, but lacked college-level experience a year ago.
 
Joining the three returners will be junior transfer Brent Pedlow (Glen Innes, Australia/Feather River JC) and freshman Jordan Simpson (Brampton, Ontario/St. Edmund Campion). A tall striker, Pedlow gives another option to the Cardinal offense. The junior booted nine goals and assisted on six other scores while playing for Feather River JC in California last fall. His two years of college experience should help make his transition to the Cardinal team an easy one. Simpson, who has explosive speed, gives another good one-on-one situational player to the offense.
 
"We are excited about the two incoming players. They give us more flexibility and make us more dangerous up front with these additions," added Regan.
 
With all the elements of a strong returning defense and midfield play leading the way, Wheeling Jesuit is primed for potentially its best fall season in many years and opportunity to reach the national playoff field.